Sk8er Boi
by summergirl63088
Summary: Based on the Disney movie Brink! Sucky title. Summary inside. And it's rated PG because there's like one bad word in it, but I wanted to make sure everyone knows that first.
1. Summary and Disclaimer

Summary: Adelaide Smith is the typical prep. When her mom dies and leaves her with a baby and a one-way plane ticket, can she ever recover? And can she change her ways to get her step-brother's best friend to notice her?

Disclaimer: I'm only doing this once, so you better remember it. I own nothing except my stories and poems ( which I'm not stupid enough to post anything but fan fiction on the net), my plot, my characters, and few other things. This is based from the movie Brink!, which Disney owns. Please review if you like the story and flame only if you must. 


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Andrew Brinker watches his friends skate towards him.

" Dude, what took you guys so long?" he asked them.

" Well, I had homework." Jordy Bormer explained.

" And my mother wouldn't let me leave until I cleaned my room." Gabriella Dellama said in her Peruvian accent.

" And Jerry," Peter referred to his stepfather, " wants me back in thirty minutes, so can we get to practicing?"

" Why do you have to leave in thirty?" Brink asked.

" Because my wonderful stepsister is moving here." Peter Calhoun said sarcastically.

" You have a stepsister?" Gabby asked.

" Yes." Peter said short-temperedly. " Can we practice now?"

The gang practiced for twenty minutes. Then they stopped for a break.

Peter looked at his watch.

" Man, I gotta go." he picked up his stuff.

" Hey, dude, how about us going with you?" Brink suggested.

" You just want to check her out." Peter said with his first smile of the day.

" Well, I don't. So can we go?" Gabby asked.

" Okay, but I'm telling you, you're not going to like her."

A.N.- Okay, I might as well warn you. My chapters are going to be short, and it might take me awhile to update in the future. If you don't already know, I have a problem with updating. It takes me forever to get around to it because of school and stuff, so you'll have to bear with me. 


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Adelaide Smith stared out the taxi's window. The seventeen year old, blue eyed, black haired girl was too busy thinking about her new home to notice that it was starting to sprinkle.

Addie was from New York, Albany to be exact, and knew she would be out of place. She wasn't into roller blading or half the things that her stepbrother, Peter, was into. Addie was a cheerleader and had always acted like a girl. She always wore things that were in style, wore makeup, fixed her hair, and was popular.

Addie recalled just last week, when her mother and stepfather had died. It happened so quick that Addie still wasn't sure what had happened. It was just another normal Saturday. Addie, her mom, and Eric, her step dad, were going to her mom's final check-up before the baby would be born. Addie was so excited. She had always wanted a baby brother or a sister. Eric had just went through a green light, when a truck from the left side ran a red light. Smashed into the side of the car, which caused it to collide with another. Addie just closed her eyes as everything went blank. When she finally woke up, sirens were flashing and blaring through the rain that was now pouring. Addie unbuckled her sear belt and looked to the front of the car which was smashed badly.

Eric was slumped over the steering wheel. Charlotte, her mother, was slowly removing her seatbelt. 

" Mommy, are you okay?" Addie asked uncertainly.

" I'm fine." her mother replied slowly.

Addie should have known something was wrong.

The next thing she could remember was the doctors at the hospital rushing to save her mother's and the baby's lives. Eric was already dead. The doctors said the baby would be delivered. Addie cried hysterically until a nurse came out.

" Honey, your mother is barely hanging on. She wants to talk to you."

Addie wiped her eyes with an unsteady hand and followed the nurse to her mother's room.

" Baby," her mother began softly, " you have to take care of Grace and yourself."

Addie burst into tears.

" Come here." 

Addie walked to her mother and hugged her softly.

" I love you and Grace both. Now, take care of her and be strong."  


" I love you, Mommy."

" I love you, too, Addie. I'll keep watch over you both. Now, give me a kiss."

" Mommy, where will we live?"

" With Eric."

" Mommy," she sobbed, " Eric's dead."

" Oh, baby."

Addie heard the heart machine beeping as her mother went limp.

" Mommy!" she wailed.

Addie looked at her week old baby sister. The baby was sound asleep. In a few minutes they would be home. 

After the funeral, her mother's lawyer read her the will. Eric would have full custody of both of the girls had he lived. Instead, Addie and Grace would have to live with Jerry Smith and his new wife and stepson in Venice Beach, California. The lawyer explained her mother left her a savings account for college and a separate account with $1300. The plane tickets had cost $958.60 to fly coach from , and the taxi ride would cost at least $30. The rest had been spent on shipping some things to Venice Beach. Julie, Peter's mom, had paid for the majority of the shipping costs, but Addie insisted on paying for some things. The plane ride had taken 11 hours and maybe 15 minutes and they had two layovers before arriving.

The taxi stopped and the man came back and opened her door. Addie unbuckled Gracie's car seat and picked it up. She raised up and was meet by a few shocked faces.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

Addie walked across the road with the car seat in her right hand. She sat Grace down and went back to the taxi. She grabbed her two suitcases and paid the driver. Then, she went back to the place she would now have to call home. Addie looked at her father.

" Hello, Dad." she said casually, doing her best to stay calm.

" You little slut." he said.

Then, without a word, he got into his sports car and drove off.

" Hello, Adelaide." Julie said nervously.

" Hi." she replied as she picked up the car seat. " This is my baby sister, Grace. If my father would've stayed long enough to listen, he would've found out."

" Well, come on in. Peter, Andy, could you grab her luggage?"

Andy did so with a smile, unlike his friend, who just scowled.

Inside the house, fifteen minutes later.

" Adelaide, I'm sorry about leaving you here on your first day, but I really have to work." Julie said with a weak smile.

" That's okay. I don't mind."

" Um…Okay. Peter," Julie said, " if you go anywhere, be back before your stepfather does. Which will be around six."

Julie grabbed her keys off the kitchen counter and left.

Addie pick Grace up out of the car seat and started to go upstairs.

" Hey, Addie! Come here!" Peter called from the living room.

" Yes?" she said as she entered the heavily furnished room.

" These are my friends," he pointed to each, " Andy, Gabriella, and Jordy. Guys,"

" And girls." Gabriella added.

" And girls," Peter agreed, " this is my stepsister Addie and my-"

" My half sister Gracie."

" So, would ya like to come to the skate park?"

" I'll just stay here." Addie said a little too quickly. " I might be by later."

" Right…"

Addie watched them leave.

" It's just you and me." she smiled at Grace who was cradled lovingly in her arms.

Addie walked up the stairs and went into her room, which Julie had shown her earlier. It only had a bed, crib, dresser, changing table, and a vanity. The walls were painted a light blue. The bed, crib, and dresser were to the left of the room, and the table and vanity were to the right. The corner in the far right was a closet, and in the middle of the center wall was a sitting window. In between the vanity and the table was a door leading to the bathroom, which she would be sharing with Peter. Addie sat Grace down in the crib and began unpacking the suitcase with her clothes. She put her two outfits in the closet, and Grace's clothes and her undergarments in the dresser.

Addie opened the second suitcase, which had a can of powdered formula, three bottles, a bib, ten diapers, baby wipes, Dexaton® Cream, baby powders, baby shampoo, and a rag. She sat the diapers, cream, wipes, and powders on the shelf under the changing table. She then walked into the bathroom and placed the rag and shampoo on the bathroom sick counter.

" We need to go to the store." she said to Grace.

Addie picked the baby up and walked down to the living room. Balancing Grace on her hip, while picking up the phone, she dialed Julie's office number.

" Hello?"

" May I speak to Julie Calhoun?"

" One moment."

" Hello?"

" Julie, can I borrow some money? I'll pay you back A.S.A.P."

" Don't worry about it, dear. I left about $100 for you in your top dresser drawer."

" Uh…Thanks. I'm gonna go." she said, still not believing she missed the money.

" Bye, dear."

Addie hung the phone up and went back upstairs. After getting the money, she went back downstairs and place Grace in her car seat. She went back into the living room and called the cab company. Fifteen minutes later, she stepped out into the hot September afternoon and got into the cab.

A.N.- Thanks ,you, guys for the reviews! They mean a lot. I'm sorry about not updating for so long. But, you know how it is. I also must apologize for my spelling errors and for leaving out words or phrases. It annoys me to death when I do it, and I generally don't notice until after I've posted the chapter. Anyways, thanks again! Later!


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

" Is your sister single?" Jordy asked as they made their way to the skate park.

" I don't _know._ I've never really talked to her." Peter scowled as they walked into the pit.

They sat down and exchanged their Chuck Taylor's for skates.

" She seems like a prep to me." Gaby commented as she began to skate.

" She's lived in New York all of her life." Peter stated shortly. " Now, can we _please _stop talking about her?"

" Dude, calm down." Andy said.

" Do you like her, too?" Peter asked edgily.

" She's nice, but not my type."

" What _is _your type?" Gaby asked out of curiosity.

" Yeah, you never say anything about the girls you like." Jordy added.

" I'll know her when I find her."

" What's that supposed to mean?" Peter asked as he stopped skating.

" It means I don't know."

" Right…"

" Peter!"

A.N.- Yes, I know it's a short chapter and a little bit of a cliff-hanger, but that's how I wrote it and that's how it's staying. Please review!


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Addie sat the car seat with Grace in it down in the center of the oak kitchen table and helped the cabbie bring her bags in.

" Thanks." she said as she paid him.

" Anytime, ma'am."

Addie had just finished putting her things away, when the doorbell rang.

" Yes?" she said as she opened the door.

An average height woman with shoulder length blond hair was standing on the porch.

" Is Andy here?"

" No, he, um…went to the skate park." Addie moved out of the way. " Please, come in Ms.-"

" Mrs. Emily Brinker. You must be Adelaide, Peter's stepsister."

" Um…yes. This is Gracie." Addie said as they walked into the kitchen. " She's my half-sister."

" Of course. Adelaide, would you mind going to the park to get Andy? I'll watch Gracie until you get back. You look like you could use a break, and well, to be frank, Andy doesn't like when I go looking for him at the park."

" Um…Okay. I'll be back soon. All of Gracie's things are in my room. It's the first on the left, upstairs."

She kissed Grace on the cheek and left.

It was almost 5:30, so Addie figures she would get Peter to come along, too. The thought of being alone with his friend, Andy, didn't seem like such a hot idea. Addie couldn't fathom why she was attracted to him. With his nose length dirty blond hair, baggy jeans, and form fitting sweaters, he was every Cali girls' dream guy. Not Addie's, though. She generally went after clean-cut Nick Lachey look-alikes.

'Maybe it's the heat.' Addie thought to herself.

She was still wearing her jeans and a black turtle neck sweater. After all, it was September, and it had been very cool when she left New York.

She could see the skate park clearly now.

" Hey, good-looking."

Addie looked behind her and saw a boy with shoulder length brown hair. He had a pair of roller blades slung over his shoulder and a smirk played across his face.

" Excuse me?"

" Hasn't anyone told you how beautiful you are lately?"

" Who are you?" Addie asked as calmly as she could.

" I'm Val Horrigan. And, who are you?"

" Adelaide Smith."

" What do you say to having a date with me, Adelaide Smith?"

" Peter!"


	7. Chapter Six

Chapter Six

All of them turned around and saw Val talking to, or rather harassing, Addie.

" Hey, Val, quit scaring the girl. She doesn't want to know your beauty secrets." Gabby said as she skated over to them.

" Shut-up, Dellama."

" Lay off my sister." Peter said with a growl.

" Oh, she's _your_ sister. Funny, I see no resemblance."

" Dude, just go away." Andy said calmly.

" Brink, don't tell me what to do."

" Go away, Val, before you embarrass yourself." Jordy warned.

" And how would I do that?"

" Like this."

Addie jerked his overly baggy jean down to reveal boxers with pink and red hearts on them.

" You little-"

" See you around, _Valerie_." Addie said as she and the gang left him alone with a crowd of people laughing hysterically.

After walking for a few minutes, they stopped so Peter, Gabby, Jordy, and Andy could change their skates for their shoes.

" That was _brilliant_." Jordy commented.

" It ranks right up there with the time Brink dumped a chocolate shake on his ugly head." Gabby agreed.

" But you better watch out, now." Peter said seriously.

" Why?"

" Well, we already have major beef with him, and since you're with us, he'll be out for revenge."

Addie wondered what 'beef' meant and she must of looked really confused or scared.

" Don't worry, we've got your back." Andy said with a smile that made Addie's heart flutter.

" Oh, God, we better get moving. Jerry'll be home in like, fifteen minutes." Peter groaned.

Everyone, except for Addie, picked up their skates, and took off running to Peter's house. They made it there with five minutes to spare.

" Hi, guys." Mrs. Brinker said from the couch as they walked into the living room.

Grace was fast asleep.

" What's up, Mom?" Andy asked.

" We need to go home. Gabby, Jordy, do you need a ride?"

" That would be great, Mrs. Brinker." Jordy said politely.

" Bye, Peter and Adelaide." Mrs. Brinker said before she went out to her car in the driveway.

" See you guys later." Jordy said as he and Gabby left.

" Bye, dude. Bye, Addie." Andy said as he flashed them peace signs and left.

" Um…Yeah…" Peter said nervously.

" Can you teach me how to roller blade, Peter?"

" What? Why?"

" I want to be able to hang out with you guys."

" Sure. You'll have to get a pair of blades, though."

" I know. I got a job at the Super Save, while I was there today."

" Does Jerry know?"

" What does he care? As long as I'm out of his way, I'm sure he won't mind."

" You have a point." Peter said darkly.

" Does he hit you, Peter?"

" No."

" Jeez, don't get so uptight. He used to hit me and my mom. That's why I asked. I was so happy when he left."

Peter was a little unbalanced by this tidbit of Addie's life.

" Yeah, well, I wouldn't mind if he packed up and left right now."

" Peter, do you hate me?" Addie asked quietly.

" No. I just really don't know you."

" Then, let's get to knowing each other." Addie said as she sat down on the couch.

A.N.- Okay, I need to admit to a mistake. I've been using Gabriella and Gabby for Gabby, but I misspelled it in the last few chapters as Gaby. Sorry about that. Thanks for the reviews!


	8. Chapter Seven

****

Chapter Seven

A.N.- Thanks for all of the reviews!

Addie put on an above the knee beige skirt, a light blue tank top, and a pair of blue flip flops. She curled the ends of her hair, put on some makeup, and grabbed her pink backpack.

" Come on, or we'll miss the bus." Peter grumbled from the bottom of the stairs.

Addie walked downstairs and into the living room.

" Bye, Gracie. Bye, Julie."

" Bye, guys, have fun."

The teenagers walked down the sidewalk a few feet and stopped at the bus stop. They were there with a bunch of other kids, and Addie couldn't help but compare her step-brother to the other teenagers.

Peter definitely looked out of place with his sweater and baggy jeans. Everyone else was wearing shorts and t-shirts, and the few that were wearing jeans didn't wear them as baggy.

Addie was brought out of her thoughts by the yellow school bus stopping in front of the throng of students. Addie followed them onto it, noting that she didn't have to pay a fare, like she did in Albany, but this was a school bus, not a public bus. She sat next to Peter, for lack of not knowing anyone, although he seemed like a pretty cool guy after their talk last night. They had stayed up until way past eleven, talking about everything possible: their likes and dislikes, what they wanted to be after high school, and various other topics.

Twenty minutes later, the bus stopped in front of Pacifica High School.

Addie attracted a few stares as she walked with Peter down to the main office. She also heard a few comments as she passed by some people like, " Who's the new girl?" and " Why is she with _him_?"

" May I help you?"

The secretary reminded Addie of Roz from Monsters Inc.

" Yes, please. I'm new here. My name's Adelaide Smith."

" One moment."

The portly middle aged woman got up from her swivel chair and walked into the adjoining office, which Addie guessed was the principal's.

" That's Mrs. Lankroot." Peter whispered.

Addie nodded.

" Here you are. You're in locker number 425. The combination is written on your schedule."

" Thanks, Mrs. Lankroot." Addie said politely as she walked out of the office with Peter.

" That's Brink's locker. They start making the new kids share with the senior's after all of the lockers are occupied. As you can tell, we've had quite a few new kids. Jordy has to share with a new sophomore who is in love with some dude from that Lord of the Rings movie. His_ whole_ locker is covered in pictures of this curly haired guy inside."

" Orlando Bloom? He's dreamy." Addie gushed.

Peter gave her a weird look and continued down the hall.

Andy was standing at his locker, talking to a a girl with straight blond hair and a dark tan.

" Hey, Brink!"

" Later." the girl replied as she left.

" Molly Clemens, huh?"

" No way, dude. I just turned her down. So, what's up?"

" You're sharing a locker with Addie."

" Cool. As long as that one dude isn't used for the décor."

" He's hot and everything, but I'm not obsessed with him." Addie shrugged her shoulders.

" Good to know. So are we headed for the skate park after school?"

" Yeah, definitely."

" What about you, Addie?"

" I have to work." she said, not wanting to admit she couldn't skate, but not entirely lying. She did have to work.

" Cool."

The bell rang, so they went their separate ways.

****

A.N.- Yes, I know it's short. Anyways, again, thanks for all of the reviews. I'm so glad it's summer! I can update more often now, hopefully, but I probably won't update everyday. Maybe, once or twice a week, hopefully. And starting with the next chapter, I'm going to start including thank you notes and stuff to those who've reviewed, that is if you guys don't mind. And it's not a bribe or anything to get ya to review. Later!


	9. Chapter Eight

****

Chapter Eight

A.N.- Hey guys! Here's the next chapter, it's not much, in fact, I think it's the shortest chapter yet. But I promise to have more soon. Also, I've decided to not put in a thank you list because I'm lazy and all of that. But a HUGE thanks goes out to all of you who have reviewed!

" You like her, don't you?" Peter questioned as he walked to Gabby's house with Andy.

Gabby and Jordy were bringing up the rear, talking about new skate tricks.

" No, way dude. Molly Cle-"

" I meant Addie."

" Why do you ask?"

" For starters, you was awful happy to know Orlando what's-his-face wouldn't be gracing you with his presence in your locker. You was let down when she said she had to work-"

" So?"

" You bounced around in your seat at lunch, you stared at her during math, you practically ran over Val, which wasn't a bad thing, when she asked you to help her with her lab in science-"

" Dude, I still don't see your point."

Peter shook his head, not believing how dense his best friend was being.

" You skated lousy at the park today, well, until I started answering questions for Gabby."

" Your point?" Brink asked indignantly.

" You like her, man."

" So, what if I do?"

" I thought you didn't go for girls like her." Gabby quipped.

They were almost near her house, which was about a mile and a half from Peter's.

" She's different."

" Oh, really?"

" She hangs around us." Jordy piped in.

" Yeah. Nobody hangs around us." Brink added, thankful for Jordy's help. Gabby wasn't the best person to argue with. " She doesn't act snobby. She just dresses it."

" Big difference." Gabby said before jogging up the street to her house.

It wasn't that she didn't like Addie, she just wanted Brink to admit that he liked the girl.

" Actually," Peter said with a smile, " you have a point. Addie isn't snobby."

" Okay, so maybe I do like her. But she definitely doesn't like me."

" How do you know? You can't read minds."

" Jordy has a point, man."

" What do you want me do? Should I go, ' Addie, why don't ya go out with me sometime?' I'm sure she'll just _love_ that. And maybe, she'll do what she did to Val."

" Sarcasm is not your thing." Peter said with a shake of his head.

" Let's just go catch up with Gabby." Brink muttered in defeat.

****

A.N.- I'm going to clear something up with you. 1) I'm going to use both Brink and Andy for Andrew Brinker. 2) I'm not going to make it extremely easy for Brink and Addie to get together. 3) Who should Gabby be with? Jordy or Peter? I'm leaning towards Peter, but I don't know right now. Your suggestions are welcome and thanks! Later!


	10. Chapter Nine

****

Chapter Nine

Addie drummed her fingers on the countertop.

It was almost an hour until her shift was over, and she was bored out of her mind.

It had been a month since her move to Venice Beach, and she thought she had settled in pretty nicely. She was learning how to roller-blade with Peter's help and he was teaching her some simple tricks on the mini ramp him and Brink had built behind the Calhoun's house. Addie had also made a few friends at school and got along with generally everyone, except for Val and his cronies. She also had a friend at work, a twenty-year-old girl named Halley, who was a sweet girl. She went to the community college and was working at the Super Save to save up for her fall semester at UCLA. She had curly chin length hair and was about two inches shorter than Addie, but had a huge presence. She was always happy and never hesitated to help someone.

Addie was also getting along with Julie very well. The older woman had become a mother figure to her in the short amount of time, helping her with Gracie and even taking the month old baby to work with her, leaving her in the office's daycare center. She also helped Addie with all the things a woman should know: how to cook, clean, and others. She also helped her with school problems and problems she had with her father.

Yes, Jerry was still the same old jerk. He hardly said a word to Addie and had lately taken to hitting Julie. Peter was about to lose it, Addie could tell. She hated that her father was treating her step-mother so poorly. Julie worked her fingers to the bone, paying for the bills and her car, while he only paid for his sports car. He blew his money on God only knew what and was never nice to her. She couldn't do anything right in his eyes, and that irked Addie to no end.

Then, there was Brink.

Addie still couldn't fathom this guy's motive. He was overly nice to her, going out of his way to help her in class. She really liked him, but knew he would never go out with her. She saw the kind of girls that were attracted to him; the ones who were pretty and dressed like punks and the ones who dressed in more expensive clothes than her.

" Addie, what's wrong?"

Halley sat the broom and dustpan behind the counter and stood beside the younger girl.

" Do you know Andy Brinker?"

" That cutie who skates at the skate park? Duh, he's friends with Jordy."

" Jordy Bormer?"

" Yeah. He's my little brother."

Addie wanted to die. How could she not have known that? Simple, she had never asked.

" I'm sorry…"

" Oh, it's okay. I should've told ya. Anyways, yeah, I know Andy. He's a cool guy. Why? Do you like him?"

Addie sighed. " Yes, but I know he doesn't like me."

Halley blew a bubble and popped it. She was always chewing gum, usually Bubble Yum that tasted like pineapples.

" And why's that? You're a pretty cool girl yourself. You not too bad looking either. "

Addie rolled her eyes. " You're just saying that because you're my friend."

" No, because it's the truth. Most of the girls here have tans and blond hair. " Halley said before blowing another bubble. " And I know I have blond hair, but mine's natural. And as you can tell, I'm as white as a ghost."

" No, I am. But that's not the point. He's always talking to Molly Clemens."

Halley snorted. " Molly Clemens just wants to sleep with him. That's the only reason she talks to him. That's the only reason she talks to those boys at the high school. And at the community college."

" What about Jordy?"

" My brother is not worthy for her attention, according to her at least. But, Brink doesn't like her. I know that much."

" How do you know?"

"'Cause I heard Jordy and him talking about it. You forget, I still live at home, and Andy and Peter were over last week."

" Oh, hush, Hal. You'll get my hopes up. Besides, I'm too preppy to get him."

" Oh, looks aren't everything, Addie."

" Yeah, I guess so."

Addie looked at the clock beside of the cash register.

" Hallelujah! My shift's over!" Addie said as she walked out of the register area.

Halley followed her and the pair went into the break room and clocked out. They grabbed their things out of the locker they shared and went out to their cars.

" See ya later, Addie."

" Bye, Hal."

Addie unlocked the driver's door to her 1999 teal green convertible Eclipse. It hadn't cost her too much, just her first three week's paychecks, which was a total of $600. The guy she bought it off of only wanted the money for the last two payments and Addie was more than willing to fork the money over; cars in California were not cheap.

The seats wear a beige leather like material and the interior was also beige. It also included a CD player. And it was a standard.

Peter, of course, was shocked that Addie could drive a standard. " How can you not roller blade and be able to drive a standard? I can roller blade and I can't drive one!" Addie had only shrugged at this and offered to teach him how to drive.

Addie put on her seatbelt and started the car. She got home twenty minutes later and parked in the driveway. Jerry was obviously home, much to Addie's dislike, because his car was in the driveway. He never parked in the garage and parked his car on the opposite side, so Julie could get out of the garage. She was forbidden to drive his car.

Addie shut the engine off, locked the doors, and walked up to the porch. She used her house key to unlock the door and went in. She walked to the left and went into the kitchen. She opened the white refrigerator and put her dinner in the microwave.

Julie always made it a point to leave her something for dinner.

Addie had just finished eating when she heard Jerry shouting. She washed off her dishes and went out into the hallway.

" Stupid-"

" Jerry, please be quiet. You'll wake the kids." Julie pleaded.

The sound of Jerry slapping her across the face echoed down the stairs.

Addie had had enough. She walked into the living room and picked up the phone and dialed 911.

" Yes, I'd like for you to send the police over here, please. My father is beating on my step-mother." Addie listened to the operator. " 321 Colpers Street. Thank you."

She hung up the phone and quietly walked upstairs. She went into her room and found that Grace wasn't in there.

" Where in the world-"

Before she could finish, she heard the infant's wails.

" Shut that stupid baby up!" Jerry ordered.

" If you would just stop yelling, she wouldn't cry." Julie said.

" Don't back talk me!"

Addie heard a loud thump, which she guessed was Julie being knocked down.

Grace cried louder.

The sound off a door being opened reached Addie's strained ears.

" People are trying to sleep, ya know." Peter said grouchily.

Peter was not a happy person when awoken at such a time at night.

" Shut up!"

Grace screamed louder.

Then she stopped.

" Jerry, get that pillow off of her!" Julie screamed.

Another thump, and still no Grace.

Addie panicked and ran down the hall and saw in horror that her baby sister was covered by a pillow.

" You son of a-" Addie pushed him away from Grace and uncovered her.

The baby let out a choked wail then began to cry.

Addie picked her up and tearfully held her in her arms.

" You bastard." Julie hissed from her spot on the floor.

She was black and blue all over.

Peter came into the room with a wooden baseball bat. He had played when he was younger and was now grateful for keeping the thing.

" Get out."

" This is my house."

" No, it's not! Julie pays for it! She was living here before you!" Addie snapped, still holding Grace.

Jerry made to slap her, but Peter swung the bat and it connected with his back.

" You little-"

The doorbell rang.

" Go answer it, Mom." Peter said calmly. " I'll keep an eye on him."

Julie got up with a pained expression and slowly walked downstairs.

" One wrong move, and I'll aim higher next time." Peter growled.

" You go right ahead." Jerry snarled.

Addie looked from Peter to Jerry.

Jerry was a lot taller and muscular, whereas Peter was a few inches taller than Addie and a lot more stockier. But Peter had an advantage; he was young and energetic.

" Jerry, there's someone here to see you." Julie said calmly from the door way.

Jerry growled and pushed past her.

" Come on." she said.

The teenagers followed her, Addie carrying Grace. They went into the living room.

" Mr. Smith, you're under arrest for spousal abuse and the attempted murder of an infant. Put your hands behind your back and remain quiet-"

" You've got to be kidding me! You can't do this! I'm a respected member of this community."

" Anything you say can and will be held against you in the court of law." the police officer continued. " Officer Mullins, call an ambulance over."

" Yes, sir." the younger man, obviously a rookie, said as he went outside to the police car parked in front off the house.

" I'll be back in a moment."

Peter dropped the bat as the policeman went outside with Jerry.

" Thank you so much, Peter. And Addie. You are so brave for calling the police." Julie hugged them both. " I'm so sorry about Gracie."

Addie felt the tears running down her cheeks again. " It's okay. She's alright. I was just so scared."

Addie started crying hysterically. She sat down on the couch, clutching Grace.

Julie sat down beside of her and hugged her.

Soon, the both of them were crying.

" Mrs. Smith?"

Julie looked up at the policemen.

" Yes, Officer Bormer?"

" Are you sure you want to press charges?"

" Yes." Julie said confidently. " If it hadn't of been for what he did to Gracie and then trying to hit Addie and Peter, I wouldn't have the guts to. But I've had enough. Tell him he'll be seeing my divorce lawyer soon."

" Yes ma'am. Thank you, ma'am. The ambulance should be here in a few minutes."

The officers tipped their hats and left.

" That's Jordy's dad, right?"

" Oh, yes, dear." Julie said.

" Wow, that's the third shock of tonight."

" What were the others?" Peter asked with a sigh as he sat down on her other side.

" I work with Halley, Jordy's sister, at the Super Save. And well, all that's happened since I've been home. This is still my home, right?"

Addie couldn't handle moving again. Her only other relative was her Aunt Glenda, and she lived in Canada. And she couldn't stand Addie. After all, she was Jerry's sister.

" Honey, this will always be your home. In fact, I'm going to see about adopting you and Gracie. You're like my own daughters now. Peter?"

Peter smiled. " Life would definitely be dull without ya."

" I beg your pardon?"

" Mom, you missed it last week. She was out on the mini ramp and did a back flip half way through a 360 and landed on her feet."

" Well, that's good."

" Mom," Peter said dryly, " you aren't supposed to flip in the middle of a 360. And she can't even do the simplest trick yet."

" You just wait, Peter Calhoun. You just wait." Addie said while shaking her right index finger at him.

The sound of an ambulance siren filled the air and the next minute, someone was knocking on the door.

" Mrs. Smi-"

" Ms. Calhoun, please. I'm okay, please check on the baby first."

" Officer Mullins told us about both of you. If you would, please head out to the ambulance, we'll take you both to the hospital. What about them?"

" I just need sleep." Peter yawned.

Addie looked at the clock on the digital cable box and saw that it was almost one o'clock.

" Yeah, that's all. Just take care of my sister."

Addie kissed Grace on the cheek and handed her to the female paramedic.

" Goodnight, guys." Julie said as she followed the paramedics out, locking and shutting the door behind her.

" I don't know about you, but I'm hitting the sack."

" Don't blame ya."

" Did you just say 'ya'?"

" Yeah. Got a problem with that?"

" Nope. See ya in the morning."

" Same here."

The teenagers sleepily walked up the stairs and went to the respected bedrooms.

****

A.N.- This is the longest chapter so far! Anyways, not much of the Brink and Addie thing, but I still like it. Sorry about the one word, but it's rated PG and really, it's kind of hard to write something like this chapter without one bad word. I won't make it a habit, trust me. Oh, and I had no idea if Calhoun was Peter's dad's last name or Jerry's, so I used it as Peter's mom's maiden name. Let's just say Peter's real dad was a total jerk and left his mom before he was born, so she gave him her maiden name and when he was a little older, she married Jerry. I hope that answers any of your questions, and if you have any, please feel free to write them in the review. I'll answer it in the next chapter. Thanks and later!


	11. Author's Note

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Author's Note

Hello, faithful readers. I'm sorry about how long it's taken me to update my stories. I'm sure you really don't want to know why it's taken so long, so I won't bore you with it. I promise to have new chapters up for Sk8er Boi, Love Will Find A Way, and A Desire to Escape up in about a week. Thanks for your patience and, of course, your reviews. In the mean time, I am going to work on these stories, and I'm posting another story, though you don't have to check it out. So, later!


	12. Chapter Ten

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Chapter Ten

A.N.- Like I've previously said, I'm extremely sorry about not updating in a while. Also, thanks to beautyqueen321 for pointing out that in the case of Addie and Brink becoming a couple and Peter and Gabby also, Jordy would be all alone. This chapter is, of course, dedicated to you for pointing this out! So, on with the story!

Addie rested her knee against the locker to her left, precariously holding her books atop her perched knee with her left hand as she dialed the combination into her locker with her right.

That previous day, it seemed as if all of her teachers had come together to torture them by giving them either essays to be due or giving them tests for this day. Thus, Addie had to take all of her books home, and unfortunately for her, she had misplaced her book bag. She had a rather sneaking suspicion that Peter had tossed it, since he had commented quite a few times over the past two months about how preppy the thing looked.

" Here, let me help."

Addie looked up from her lock and smiled graciously at Jordy. " Thanks."

She grabbed the first four books from the top of the pile and handed them off to the dirty blonde hair boy.

She pulled the combination lock off of the locker hook and pulled the door open. She shoved her three other books into the already cramped locker before shutting the door and locking it back.

" Thanks." she said again as she relieved Jordy of his burden.

The books were quite heavy, being for Anatomy, Literature, Calculus, and Physics.

" No prob." Jordy said as they started walking down the quite hallway.

During the mornings, nobody was hardly there, opting to hang with their friends out in the courtyard or in the cafeteria. A few people were getting into their lockers, though, not wanting to be ran over when the bell for first period did ring.

" Where're the others?" Addie asked as they passed a group of cheerleaders.

" I have no clue, actually." Jordy replied casually as they neared the exit to the outside.

They were, of course, headed out to the steps where the gang normally sat before first period, during lunch, and at break time.

" Alright, Jordy, what's eating you?" the raven-haired girl asked as she stopped as soon as they exited the building.

She had been hanging around Jordy long enough to know when he was bummed, and this was one of those rare occasions when he was like a clone of the ever pessimistic Peter.

" I asked Terina Goldstein out." he said as he walked to the steps and sat down.

Addie followed him and sat down on the step below him. " What'd she say?"

Addie was, perhaps, the only person who knew of the crush Jordy had on Terina. She had actually insisted on him asking her out, since she could tell he really liked her just by the way he talked. Terina wasn't a prep and was one of the rare natural beauties of the school. She wore no make up, had almond shaped green eyes, straight brown hair that was highlighted naturally by the sun, and stood at 5'3. She was a surfer, skateboarder, and snowboarder. Not exactly someone to mess with.

" She turned me down." Jordy said sulkily.

Addie felt bad. " I'm sorry. Why?"

Curiosity always got the better of her, especially when she wanted all of the details. She wanted to know everything before she got into a fight with the girl, after all.

" I'd rather not say." Jordy said as he hung his head, his long blonde bangs covering his eyes.

" Alright. When did you ask?"

" You just don't give up, do you?" he asked with a small smile.

" You know me, Ask A-lot Addie." she beamed.

" I asked her at the beach last night. Only, she didn't think it was such a hot idea." Jordy said sadly.

" Did she just say 'no' outright, or did she break it to you gently?" Addie asked, hoping the others didn't pop up now.

" Terina Goldstein trying to think of others? Whatever. She said, ' I would never go out with you in a million years.'"

" That witch!" Addie said. " I ought to go and have a few words with her."

" Don't bother. She's not worth it." Jordy said, still moping. " I'm just not good enough for any girl."

" That's not true!" Addie defended. " You're sweet, caring, funny, friendly, good-natured, and only about a hundred other good things that I'm not going to bore you with because you already know it."

" You're a great friend, Add." Jordy said, smiling broadly.

" So are you." she said, ignoring his compliment.

" Well, now that my woefully bad love-life is out in the open, what about yours? How're things going between you and Brink?"

Addie gaped out him like a goldfish. " There is nothing going on between me and Andy."

" Sure…That's why you keep staring at each other."

" I don't stare at him!" Addie said, blushing madly.

" Sure." Jordy said, rolling his eyes. " And I'm a leprechaun."

Addie was about to make a reply, but decided against it.

" What? Cat got your tongue?"

" No."

" I mean, this may seem like a stupid question, but do you really like Brink?"

" Even if I did like him, which I don't, he doesn't like me."

" You've got to be blind." Jordy sighed as he looked at her. " He practically follows you around like a puppy."

" Whatever." Addie said as she looked at her white sneakers. " Besides, I've seen the girls he likes. They're a whole lot prettier than I am. And funnier. And they can roller blade much better than me."

" Come off it, Add." Jordy said, rolling his eyes again. " You are pretty. Even that jerk Val can see that. And so what if you can't roller blade or tell jokes all of the time. Brink likes you for a lot of other things. I just can't name them, since I start tuning him out after five minutes of hearing all of the wonderful things about Addie."

" He doesn't talk about me that much." Addie said, grateful for her hair covering her face.

" You can ask Peter or Gabby. They'll tell you."

" Oh, whatever."

" You can't take a few compliments, can you?" Jordy asked, not liking her tone.

" It's kind of a thing from having to live with Jerry."

" Well, I mean, I can see why Brink likes ya. You're smart, kind, and you have a thirst for knowledge."

" Jordy, just shut up." Addie said. " I've only been told I'm smart about three million times. And I hate being mean to people. At my old school, we had so many stupid cliques and everyone was judged horribly. And as for having 'a thirst for knowledge', I just naturally question everything. And, no I don't see why Brink likes me."

" You like him, don't ya?" Jordy said, lightheartedly teasing her.

" Yes. I mean, no!" she said, flustered.

" Get over it, Add. You like him. And he likes you." Jordy said, smiling. " So, why don't ya just go and ask him out?"

This sounded remarkably like the conversation they shared just a week ago on Terina Goldstein, and Addie was not liking it.

" He doesn't want to go out with me." she said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest. " And I don't like him. So, drop it."

" Alright, alright." Jordy said, throwing up his hands. " You win. I'll quit pestering you about Brink."

" Good."

" When's the adoption going to be final?" he asked, changing the subject.

To most people, this would be a bad choice. To Addie, it was a good choice, considering she didn't want to talk about her feelings for Brink.

" In a month. It's going much faster than I thought it would, though. I guess since Jerry was more than willing to give up his parental rights to me, it made it so much easier."

" How's your mom…" Jordy trailed off, hoping he hadn't just said something to upset the girl who was playing with her shoelaces.

" What?" she asked, raising her gaze to meet his. " My mom's taking it quite well. She can't wait to be able to actually say that she's a proud mom of three. And yes, it's okay to call Julie my mom. She may not be my biological mom, no one can replace her, but she is a mom to me all the same."

Actually, the idea wasn't so bad to Addie. She loved Julie just like she had loved her mom. And Julie had been like a mom to her every since she had moved to Venice Beach.

The bell rang, so the pair collected their books, Jordy only had two, and walked into the building.

" See ya at lunch." Jordy said as he went into the home ec room.

" Later." Addie said as she continued her way to the science lab.

She walked down the crowded hallway, careful not to bump into anyone as she went to her thoughts.

' Maybe Jordy's right.' she thought as she dodged Delia Thompson. ' Andy is always trying to help me out. More than anyone-'

She was cut off from her thoughts as she halted before Molly Clemens.

The tall girl was blocking the doorway to the room, glaring at her.

" What?" Addie asked exasperatedly.

Molly had been bugging her for the past few weeks, constantly giving her glares and saying catty things.

" I don't know what you think you're doing, but Andy is mine." she hissed.

" That's great." she mumbled.

She really wasn't in the mood to listen to a girl who was jealous over absolutely nothing.

" Whatever, Allie." Molly said, flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder.

" It's Addie." she said through gritted teeth.

" Yeah, whatever. Brink's mine, and you better get over it."

" That's great and all, Molly, but could you please move. People want to get to class." Peter said from somewhere behind of Addie.

Molly practically hissed at them before stalking off into the classroom.

Addie smiled gratefully at Peter before walking into the classroom. She walked to the second to the last seat in the second row and sat down.

Peter sat directly behind her and Brink sat to the right of Peter.

" What was that all about?" Peter asked as Addie shoved her other three books on to the rack under her seat.

" Nothing important." Addie mumbled as the teacher, Mr. Jennings came into the room.

" Class open your books to page 287..."

The group congregated at the lunch table, talking happily, except for Addie. She was zoning out thinking about her dilemma. She was completely out of the world, and proved so much when she reached over beside of her and took Peter's sandwich. She continued munching on it and thinking about how to deal with her problems, when Peter snapped her back to the real world.

He had been turned to his side, talking to Brink, and was reaching back to grab his sandwich, when he came up empty handed.

" Addie, that's my sandwich." he said as he rounded on the thief.

" Huh? What? Oh." she said as she realized that she had nicked Peter's ham and cheese sandwich and left her own sandwich laying untouched in front of her.

She handed the half eaten sandwich to Peter, who gave it back.

" You can keep it. I'll just take yours." he said as he took the sandwich from the aluminum wrapping.

Addie just shrugged before going back to eating.

" Hey, Add, are you coming to the skate park today?" Jordy asked.

Addie knew exactly what he was up to. " I don't know. I was thinking about watching Gracie today."

" You know Mom won't mind watching her." Peter said.

He honestly had no idea of what Jordy was up to.

" Yeah. And you can work on your skills." Gabby said, balling her aluminum foil up and throwing it at Val's head.

She, however, wasn't clueless. Jordy had informed her of everything during first period, and the two had concocted a plan.

Val was about to open his mouth, but the principal, Mr. Trevors, came walking by.

Gabby waved cheekily at him before joining back in the conversation.

" I don't know…" Addie trailed off.

She would like to work on her skating, but she just didn't feel like making a fool of herself in front of Brink.

" Hi, Jordy." Delia Thompson said as she passed their table with a giggly friend.

Jordy waved back in recognition.

" Delia?" Addie said, smirking.

And this was coming from the boy who complained about not being able to get a girlfriend. Delia was one of those shy, self-conscious girls who didn't think anyone could like them. Kind of like Addie. Delia had dark red hair, brown eyes that always had a twinkle to them, and was about as tall as Addie, who stood at 5'5.

" She always says hi." Jordy said, ignoring her smirk.

" Sure…But I still don't know if I'll go." Addie said, scaring herself.

She was starting to sound like Peter, and that wasn't a good thing.

" Oh, come on. This is, like, the first day you've had off in five days." Jordy said, trying to win her over.

Brink looked between his friends. Jordy normally never pleaded with someone this much, Gabby normally wasn't into sweet talking, and Peter was just being Peter. Addie, however, was blushing severely and looked really nervous.

They were up to something, he just knew it.

" Look, guys, just leave her alone. If she doesn't want to go, then she doesn't have to." he said, grabbing his things and walking off.

Peter looked at Jordy, then Addie. " What's going on?"

" I'm going to talk to him." Addie said as she threw her things away.

She started following Brink, hoping she wouldn't say something stupid.

" Come on, let's see what happens." Jordy said as he and Gabby got up from the table.

" What's going on?" Peter asked again.

" Just come on." Gabby said, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him down the hallway.

" Andy!" Addie said, trying to get his attention.

Now wasn't a time to be reserved.

" Andy! Wait up!" she said, nearly plowing into him as he stopped.

That got his attention.

" What's up?" Brink asked as he turned around.

" Look, we need to talk." Addie said seriously, looking up into his eyes.

" About what?"

" Are you deliberately being dense?" she asked with a hint of impatience.

" No. I just don't know what you're talking about."

" This."

Addie had no idea of what she was doing as she stood on tiptoe and kissed him.

****

A.N.- Ah, yes, another cliffhanger brought to you by summergirl63088. Anyway, I'm terribly sorry about not updating for so long. No excuse is really plausible, but I shall profusely apologize. Also, a reviewer suggested that the correct category for this story would be under Disney cartoons. I, however, disagree. Please, in your review (if you write one) leave a note as to whether that is it's correct place of if it's fine under the Misc. Movies section. Thanks a lot! Later!


	13. Chapter Eleven

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Chapter Eleven

Addie backed away from him and looked at her pretty plain sneakers. " Um…I have to go."

She walked around him and practically ran down the hallway, grateful for the fact that it was almost completely empty. Why did she kiss him? Why? If that didn't scream 'I like you' nothing else could.

" Oh, God, what have I done?" she questioned as she banged her head onto her locker.

" Um…Addie, can you please stop banging your head into my locker?" Delia said quietly, standing to Addie's left.

Addie looked up at the locker number, and realized it said 325, not 425.

" Sorry." Addie said sadly.

" That's alright." Delia said as she opened the locker.

" Hey," Addie said with a small smile, " you know, I was just wondering, do you like Jordy? I mean, you don't have to answer if you don't want to, but I couldn't help but notice what went on at lunch."

Delia blushed as she pulled her Physics book out of her locker. " You won't tell him, will you?"

" No, of course not." Addie said, crossing her fingers behind her back.

" Yeah, I do like him. But he doesn't like me. He ignores me most of the time." Delia said quietly.

" Oh, well, I'm sure he doesn't mean to." the raven haired girl replied comfortingly.

" Maybe."

The bell rang.

" I'll see ya later." Addie said as she made a dash for her locker.

It wouldn't do her any good to be late for her next class, which was Spanish III.

Addie stood in front of her closet, wondering why on earth she was going through with this.

She pulled out a black lycra shirt and pulled it on, taking off her white button down shirt.

" Now, I just need some pants." she mumbled out loud.

" How about the olive cargo ones?"

Addie gasped and quickly turned around to see Gabby standing in the doorway.

" How long have you been there?" she asked as she pulled the jeans out of her dresser.

" Not long. Just after you said something about pants."

" Oh."

" We'll be waiting downstairs."

" Uh-huh." Addie said absentmindedly.

She pulled off her hip huggers and pulled the cargo pants on. She pulled on a clean pair of socks, left her curly hair down and grabbed her skates and black helmet. She jogged downstairs and found Jordy, Gabby, and Peter all sitting in the living room.

" Let's go."

They all headed outside, stopping on the large concrete porch to put their skates on.

Julie had readily agreed to watch Grace, saying the baby was her responsibility not the teenager's.

Of course, it had taken the others the better part of the walk home to get Addie to agree to even come down to the skate park. Brink hadn't joined them, saying something about catching up with them later.

" So," Addie said as she skated over to Jordy, " do you like Delia?"

Peter and Gabby were about ten feet ahead of them, talking about the X-Games.

" What?" Jordy said as he glanced at her. " Where'd that come from?"

" Look, I'm not supposed to tell, but she likes you." Addie said, biting her tongue to keep from saying man.

Peter's bad influence, yet again.

" No joke." Jordy said in disbelief.

" No joke." Addie said with a smile. " She told me before fifth period. Though, I wasn't supposed to tell you. She thinks you don't like her. You'll give her a chance, won't you?"

Jordy contemplated this for a moment as they continued skating down the sidewalk. " Yeah. Of course."

" Great!" the raven haired girl said with a happy squeal.

They continued the trip in silence. That was until they got into the skate park to find Brink.

With Molly Clemens.

Kissing Molly Clemens to be precise.

Jordy tried in vain to keep Addie from seeing, but the stubborn girl all but shoved him out of her way.

" What's going on…" her voice faltered as she saw the scene.

Molly let go of Brink, smirking when she laid eyes on Addie.

" Oh, hello, Allie."

" It's Addie." she snarled.

" I told you Andy's mine." she said gleefully.

" I don't see your name on him."

" Should I give you another demonstration?" she queried with another smile.

" You little witch!" Addie hissed as she pulled her skates off, throwing them to the pavement.

Molly followed her lead and kicked her platform sandals off.

Sure, Molly was a good five inches taller than she was, but she could take her.

" Addie…" Peter said warningly, torn between happiness and guilt.

On one hand, it would be great if Addie stomped Molly. On the other, their mom wouldn't be exactly thrilled with the threats of suing and jail time Molly's rich father would threaten them with.

" Stay out of this, Peter." Addie said as she stared at Molly.

" What is it? Afraid your brother can do a better job than you?"

Addie lunged at the blonde, but was jerked back by Jordy.

" Molly, get out of here." he said as Addie struggled in his grip.

" Oh, I will. Come on, Andy, let's leave your little friends alone. We have more _important_ things to do."

Addie nearly broke out of Jordy's grip, but was grabbed by Peter and Gabby.

" Look, guys, can't we just get along." Brink said, speaking for the first time since the fight had started.

" Oh, we'll get along alright." Addie spat. " If you keep your little hussy away from me, she won't get her pretty little face clawed up."

Gabby let go of Addie, grabbing her skates as she followed the boys and the struggling girl out of the park.

****

A.N.- Okay, this chapter was a whole lot better when I first typed it up, but unfortunately for me, I couldn't remember all of it. I hope it's still a good chapter, and I'll have the next one up soon, I promise.


	14. Chapter Twelve

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Chapter Twelve

A.N.- What's up, guys? I just want to thank you all for all of the reviews you've typed for this work of fan fiction. You guys absolutely give me the faith and courage to continue this story. Thanks for taking the time to review this story and for those who read but don't review, thanks as well! So, please continue reading! Later!

Addie stewed silently for a full week. She hadn't uttered a single word to anyone since the incident at the skate park, and the only time she did talk was to Gracie or her own self. Which was entirely a sane thing to do. She hadn't taken to answering her own questions, so Peter and the others took it as a good sign. Everyone knew you weren't truly insane until you started answering yourself.

Needless to say, Addie wasn't her usual carefree self. She rarely smiled or wore her normally cheerful clothing. And, of course, she wasn't speaking. Though, no one was prepared for the full force of her sadness. She was known to start crying in the middle of class, at lunch, and in the middle of crowded hallways. Her boss at the store, Mr. Cline, had given her the next week off just so she wouldn't freak the customers out with her constant sobbing. Julie was starting to get so worried, that she had taken to coming home from work early and filling out paperwork in her living room. She knew that Addie was by nature a strong willed person and couldn't stand the sight of her daughter crumbling over a dispute with her son's best friend. Julie also noticed that the already slender girl was drastically losing weight, which wasn't a good thing for her small frame.

And you may wonder about Peter. He was absolutely lost for words. He didn't joke around or make sarcastic comments. He was actually the exact opposite of himself. He was being kind and considerate.

Actually, all of her friends were. Jordy was always there to listen to her sob, thought she never spoke a word. Gabby was by her side at all times with tissues and anyone who dared snicker at Addie got a death glare that even Medusa would be jealous of. Peter had taken to threatening anyone who made a comment about his tormented sister with his fist and no one dared push him over the edge.

Well, Val was an exception. Though, he wasn't worth getting in a fight over.

" Addie, honey, please eat something." Julie begged as they all sat around the kitchen table.

Gracie was happily cooing in her high chair, while Peter sullenly forced food into his mouth, and Addie sat quietly in her chair, not having even touched the plate. Julie had fixed her favorite dinner; fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn on the cob, and buttery rolls; to entice the forlorn girl into eating, but to no avail.

" I'm not hungry." she mumbled, her first words to them in seven days.

Her throat felt soar and dry, and her normally cheerful chirp of a voice with a hint of a 'New Yorker' accent was dull and lifeless.

' What's wrong with you, Adelaide.' she mentally shook herself. ' Look at yourself. You are nothing but a lifeless shell of your old self. You refuse to speak, eat, smile, and everything else that you used to always do. And for what? The rejection of a guy who you like? Quit acting so silly and get over it.'

" Please, Addie. I'm just so worried about you." Julie said, on the verge of tears. " You aren't happy. And I just can't watch you mope about all day long. It's just not how my daughter used to be. She used to be so cheerful and full of life. What's wrong, Addie? Can't I do anything to help you? Please, tell me."

Julie had never broken down in front of her children before, but couldn't stop herself. The salty tears poured down her soft rosy cheeks in rivers and she hiccupped every once in a while. She covered her face with her small, delicate hands and laid her head down on the dark brown kitchen table, her shoulder length brown hair covering her face.

" Mom?" Peter asked in alarm.

He was just a guy and wasn't adept to these situations. After all, every since he was a little boy, he had been taught that men didn't express their feelings and didn't know where to start.

" I'm sorry, Mama." Addie said, tears streaming down her face as she rushed over to the sobbing Julie.

She threw her arms around the woman and hugged her tightly, fighting hard to control her tears.

Peter looked from one female to the other. Why did women always have to cry?

" I'm so sorry. I'm okay, honestly. It was silly of me to get so upset. I promise I'm better now. Really."

" Oh, baby. I don't want you upset. It makes me feel like I've done everything wrong." Julie said as she raised up and locked Addie into her arms.

" Um…I'm going to take Gracie into the living room." Peter said uncertainly, getting up and grabbing the baby before leaving the room.

" You haven't. I just was so upset. I really thought Andy liked me." Addie explained, her chin resting on Julie's right shoulder. " He obviously doesn't, though. And just seeing him with Molly had me seeing red."

" Are you sure that's all?" Julie sniffed.

" Yes, Mama. That's all it was. I just blew things out of proportion. I'm sorry I made you worry so much." she said, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. " I was starting to worry my own self."

She pulled away from Julie and kissed her on the cheek.

" Okay, now, will you please eat some dinner? You've lost too much weight." Julie said, wiping away her own tears, and giving her daughter another small squeeze.

" Yes, ma'am." the teenager replied as she sat back in her chair. " I'll even do the dishes after I get through."

" Oh, honey-"

" No, Mama. I've let you do too much work this week already." she insisted.

" Okay."

" Go upstairs and take a nap. Pete and I can handle Gracie."

Julie smiled a brief smile before leaving the room.

" So, are you okay?" Peter asked as he and Addie sat in the living room, watching " The Patriot".

Gracie and Julie were upstairs and in bed, asleep, giving the teenage siblings some time alone.

" Yeah. It was just a spell." she replied as she continued watching the movie.

Oh, how she loved watching Heath Ledger in this movie. He was just so good looking in it, and with a tub of mint chocolate chip ice cream currently occupying her lap, she couldn't ask for anything better.

" Are you sure?"

" Peter, you're worse than Mama." she admonished lightly, taking her eyes from the glowing television screen. " Yes, I'm sure. I'm over it. I didn't realize it until just before she started crying. I was just being plain selfish, acting like the world was coming to an end. And guess what, it isn't. Wasting away just because Andy's in love with another girl is _so_ not worth my time. Besides, I'm getting sick of everyone acting like I'm the walking dead, 'cause I'm not."

She emphasized this by shoving a spoonful of ice cream into her mouth and slamming her left fist down on the couch's arm.

" Okay, okay. I'll quit asking." Peter said, sounding more like his old self.

" Good. Now, hush. This is the best part."

" But we've already-"

" I said HUSH!"

****

A.N.- I hope this chapter is up to par with the others. Also, I want to again thank all of you guys for your reviews! They really mean a lot to me! Sorry for the long wait…I should have the next chapter up sometime soon, but I won't make any promises. Later! And, thanks!


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